Protecting the coral reef: Cars blocked from Eilat's endangered shoreline
Haaretz
Last update - 12:01 05/10/2006
By Revital Levy-Stein
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/770521.html
The thousands of tourists who come to Eilat during the intermediate
days of the Sukkot holiday (October 8-13) and plan to pitch tents on
the city's southern beach will be surprised to discover that, unlike
in previous years, they will have to park their cars some distance
from their tents. This is because officials from the Israel Nature and
National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA) recently decided to limit
the entry of cars to the beach to protect the coral reef.
Eilat's southern beach - whose entire length is a marine nature
preserve of diving sites and an underwater world rich with corals and
marine animals - is expected to attract many vacationers, especially
since tenting on the north beach has been banned for the past year and
the number of Israelis traveling to the Sinai has declined
considerably. "Thousands of vacationers will sleep in tents along the
shore," says Guy Eilon, director of the Eilat district of INNPPA.
Eilat's southern beaches, including the coral reef adjacent to the
shore, have always been completely accessible to cars and vacationers.
Heavy damage has been caused to the corals and marine animal
populations have declined. For this reason, INNPPA is taking immediate
measures to reduce the access of cars to the reef, while organizing
convenient access to the water for swimmers and divers. "It is
important to us that the preserve be accessible," says Eilon, "and
that the public be able to enjoy the underwater world, while
protecting nature from damage caused by swimmers and divers."
The first thing INNPPA did was cordon off the entire length of the
waterfront and post signs indicating the nearest opening to the water.
"The ropes define the areas where swimming is allowed," explains
Eilon. "It is not a fence and can easily be traversed, but bathers
mostly respect the ropes and enter the water in the designated areas."
Eilon reports that this has significantly reduced the damage to the
corals on the upper part of the reef, across which swimmers used to
walk, and the amount of enforcement required by INNPPA. "When the
corals are healthy, all the animals that depend on them are healthy,
too," says Eilon.
Another measure implemented by INNPPA is the placing of boulders all
along the beach 10-20 meters from the water. The boulders are of the
same granite as the surrounding mountains, so they blend in with the
landscape. "The boulders completely prevent the entry of cars, as
opposed to in the past, when cars came right up to the water's edge,"
continues Eilon. "This caused tremendous damage - pollution from fuel
and oil, the disturbing of the sand and the crushing of shells and
crabs at low tide."
In addition to protecting the reef, the positioning of the boulders
has increased the number of vacationers on the beach as the cars used
to take up space that can now be occupied by tents. Other improvements
include the installation of mooring area for lowering divers into the
water, at the two most popular sites. "Diving clubs can lower divers
directly from boats into the water," says Eilon. "This will prevent
damage to the coral from divers walking on the sea bed and the
disturbing the sand."